G20 Engagement Groups: Statement for Open and Inclusive Societies

The G20 Engagement Groups, as the representatives of civil society in the G20 process, have issued a joint call for openness and inclusiveness ahead of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting.

Openness and inclusiveness have been the hallmark of globalization over the past decades. Driven by these principles, international cooperation in political and economic matters lead to a dramatic decrease in poverty, advanced human rights and ensured peaceful co-existence around the world.

In many countries today, we see an increase in support for policies of isolation and unilateralism that often defy the values that have underpinned international cooperation for decades. In the face of these challenges, the G20 Engagement Groups call upon their leaders to make a stand to uphold exchange and cooperation internationally, while taking decisive action to address the root causes of globalization skepticism domestically.